Last autumn I finally made it to the North Cape! While not actually the northernmost point of mainland Europe, it is a big tourist attraction. I had sailed past a few years earlier, but I never made it to the actual plateau.
We disembarked the ship in nearby Honningsvåg, a quaint fishing village and also a rather big cruise ship destination. On the bus to the plateau the guide gave a lot of information about the area, how people live there, and the different traditions behind reindeer herding. We stopped at a few viewpoints, and also stopped when we spotted reindeer – which there were a lot of.
Arriving at the North Cape the sun was still on the way up, creating the most beautiful light. I was amazed by how few people there were, I guess that is a benefit of visiting outside the tourist season. I spent a lot of time taking photos of the dramatic landscape, made even more dramatic by the low clouds. Of course I also had to get a photo with the North Cape globe.
Afterwards, I headed inside for a good Norwegian breakfast – read: delicious waffles! There was also a very interesting museum in the visitor center. Here I got to learn the history of the plateau, as well as how it is in the different seasons.
We had to take a bus to Hammerfest to meet up with the ship. Again we were driving through beautiful landscapes and learning about the history and culture. We also had frequent photo stops along the way. At one point the bus even had to stop as there were reindeer walking in the middle of the road! I had such a pleasant trip, and I learnt so much about other cultures in my own country.
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